Wild Animals

Wild Gharial Conservation and Welfare

Gharials are critically endangered crocodilians with specialised ecological needs, facing extinction from river degradation, fishing nets, and sand mining.

Key Facts

The gharial is one of the most endangered crocodilians with fewer than 200 mature individuals remaining
They are specialist fish-eaters with distinctive thin snouts adapted for catching fish underwater
Gharials cannot walk on land as other crocodilians do, restricting them to riverine habitat
Drowning in fishing nets is a major cause of mortality for this critically endangered species
Captive breeding and release programmes have produced thousands of gharials but survival to maturity is poor

Welfare Considerations

Gharials caught in fishing nets experience drowning distress as obligate air-breathers unable to surface. Sand mining destroys nesting beaches, preventing reproduction and causing nest abandonment. Gharials have poor thermoregulatory capacity compared to other crocodilians, making habitat degradation that removes basking sites a welfare concern. Conservation breeding programmes have good captive welfare but released animals face a highly degraded natural environment.

What You Can Do

Support Gharial Conservation Alliance and Indian conservation organisations protecting gharial rivers
Advocate for fishing gear modifications that allow gharial escape in Indian and Nepali rivers
Support Chambal River conservation that maintains the primary remaining gharial habitat
Donate to captive breeding and monitoring programmes working to save this species
Raise awareness about gharial as one of the world most endangered crocodilians